Questions
by Enula
Summary: Donnie and April get to know each other better, one question at a time. Complete.
1. Question 1

**Questions**

**I.**

"Can I ask you a question?"

I stopped typing, my large fingers lingering over the keyboard. I sensed April standing right behind me and the tone of her voice made me nervous. I could already tell the question wouldn't be about what I was working on or why the Kraang Communication Orb hasn't picked up any signals lately.

Glancing over to the side, April stepped into my line of sight. She was still holding the screwdriver I asked her for earlier when I was fixing the centrifuge after Mikey tried to use it to make pizza shakes.

"U-um…" I stumbled over my words, sneaking a peak back to my computer and the code I was writing. It would have to wait. I wouldn't be able to concentrate on the rest even if I told her to hold off until later. I lowered my hands to my lap and pushed my chair back, "Shoot."

April leaned against my desk, "Would you still be a ninja if you didn't have to be?"

The question caught me off guard and I found myself rubbing my neck uneasily, "Uh, well…I never actually thought about it before…"

"Well, I mean…_this," _April pushed herself from the desk and waved her arms around the room to emphasize her point, "This is your specialty, Donnie. There's nothing you can't do in here. I've seen you work for _days _at a time on something even though the lack of sleep could slow you down in a fight. So, I was just wondering…if you were given a choice to stop fighting to focus all your time on science…would you do it?"

As she looked down at me and I looked up at her, I wondered if it was some sort of rhetorical question. But the harder she stared at me, the more I realized she truly wanted to know.

I scratched my chin, "Well…doing science all the time _does _sound like the dream," I noticed how she rolled her eyes but then smiled softly, "I've tried inventing stuff before to avoid fighting and it didn't turn out too well, so…"

She shook her head, "No, say you guys defeated the Kraang, and Shredder, and…and everyone else and there was no need for you to keep practicing ninjitsu. Would you give up the training?"

I couldn't help but pick up on the passion in her voice and it made me curious, "Why do you want to know so bad?"

A light blush flickered over her cheeks and her eyes suddenly held complete interest on the screwdriver, "Just wondering…"

It sounded like she wanted to say something more but nothing came. I saw that she was starting to feel a bit awkward at being questioned about her enquiry, so I finally just went with it.

"My initial response is to say _no, _I wouldn't give up ninjitsu because when we're all on a mission, the other guys expect me to be able to hold my own even when I'm trying to disable a device or close a portal, so I wouldn't want to put extra pressure on them by being helpless. _But _since you threw in the condition that all our enemies were defeated, my next response is to say _yes, _I would give it up to focus on science. I know I'm not the best ninja and there's no way I'd ever be able to surpass Raph or Leo, but with science…everything just _clicks, _ya know?"

I didn't notice I was rambling until I stopped and we were left staring at each other again. There was a shine in her eyes and, to me, it indicated true interest. Was she really that fascinated in my answer? But when she opened her mouth to respond, I cut her off:

"_However, _you did mention that I can sometimes work for days at a time. I can do this because of my ninja skills. The exercise and discipline help with concentration. If I stopped, I would become sluggish, thus tiring more quickly."

"So you _would _still be a ninja even if Splinter came in right now and said—," April straightened and clasped her hands behind her back, putting on her best impersonation, "'Donatello, my son, from now on, you do not have to practice with your brothers. Instead, you may focus on your lab work'—?"

I chuckled, "Hey, that was pretty good."

"Thanks!"

"Yes, I still would."

"Good."

"Good?"

She grinned, "Well, like you said, if you didn't exercise, you would become sluggish," she reached out and grabbed my arm above my elbow pad, "and lose your muscles. We—you wouldn't want that, now would you?"

I felt a blush heat up my face at her words and her touch, and chuckled nervously. I was relieved when her laugh matched mine. She pulled away quickly and used that same hand to push a few strands of hair behind her ear.

"Okay, I'll let you get back to work now, Donnie. Sorry for disturbing you," April finally set the screwdriver down on my desk and grabbed her backpack. I watched as she headed for the door to my lab.

"You can…disturb me anytime," I found myself calling to her and was surprised when she turned around with a huge smile that lit up my world.

"Ditto!" She must have thought she sounded fatuous because I watched as she turned back around and slapped her forehead, mumbling some nonsense about s_tupid, stupid, stupid—nothin' better than 'ditto'…_

She disappeared out the door and I was suddenly left with my own question. Was the reason she asked the ninja question because she was trying to get to know me better? Or because she was bored and was curious for no real reason? And why did I have to think this hard about an innocent question anyway?

By the time I asked myself this last question, I realized I went over my _one _question and I was suddenly creating an essay exam. I suddenly wanted to ask April something that would help me get to know her better as well. I wanted to know more about _April; _the non-kunoichi-in-training, psychic-Kraang-power April. I felt terrible. Did I even really know her at all? Did she know me?

I pulled myself back to my computer and stared at the coded screen.

I needed to change my game plan. I was going about it all wrong. The next time I saw April, I swore there would be progress.

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_AN: Thanks for reading! I plan on making more chapters (if that didn't seem obvious), so I figured I would take some requests for questions if any of you are interested. Each chapter will have them asking a question (next chapter will be for April). So if you want me to write a chapter about anything specific, please let me know! _


	2. Question 2

**.**

**Questions**

**II.**

"Can I ask you a question?"

I was in the middle of writing a long answer for my math assignment when he blurted these words out. I was laying on my stomach on the couch with my math textbook and notebook open in front of me. I glanced over my shoulder to where Donnie was sitting on the floor, his shell propped against the couch by my legs. My chemistry textbook was open in his lap.

I grinned, "You just did."

He looked up quickly and snapped his eyes to me, "Oh no, did I really just waste a question?"

I held back a laugh, "That was question number two."

Realizing his mistake, he hid his face in his hand as he shook his head, "This is not going as planned…"

I nudged his shell with my leg, "I'm kidding! Ask your question."

"You are? Oh…" He uncovered his face and absentmindedly turned the page, "I knew that," I bit back another laugh because his awkwardness was somehow endearing, "Anyway, I was just wondering what it was like growing up as an only child."

I began tapping my pencil against my notebook, "You'd be surprised how many people are curious about that."

"You mean my question isn't even a little bit original…?"

Donnie sounded so dejected that I felt bad for seemingly dismissing him. I closed my math book and sat up before sliding to the floor next to him. I felt him stiffen and I could practically hear his mind working as he considered whether he should stay put or give us some distance.

"Sorry, Donnie, I forgot that—," I cut myself short because I didn't want to go into the excuse that most people, when asking that question, were only expecting one of two short answers (lonely or awesome), "I liked it well enough; I was the center of my parents' world and I didn't have to fight for their attention."

I felt and saw Donnie relax even though he continued looking at the chemistry book, "So you never wished you had any siblings?"

"Well…I do remember going through this one phase when I was about four or five. I wanted an older brother _so _bad. I think it was because I would watch TV and see how protective older brothers were of their younger sisters. They swore to kill any guy that ever broke her heart and would beat up anyone that made fun of her. I remember I kept begging my parents to give me an older brother," I laughed at the memories, "Like they could just make a new baby that was older than me."

Donnie's eyes lit up as he laughed with me. I leaned forward on my bent knees and looked over my shoulder at him so I could truly enjoy his new found knowledge, "What did your parents say to that?"

"Hmm…I can't remember that part, honestly. Though I'm sure they told me something like me being the perfect child and them not needing anymore."

He nodded, "I can see where they're coming from." When he realized what he said, he chuckled in such a way that I almost wanted to call it a giggle. I leaned back against the couch again so our arms brushed together.

"Then a decade later, it looks like I got my wish," I looked down at my hands in my lap before glancing over to his green ones still holding my textbook, "Your brothers became the big brothers I wanted. Well…Mikey became more like a little brother, but you get my point."

"Heh, yeah Mikey definitely fits that role perfectly," Donnie agreed probably because he was the third child and I was putting myself alongside him in line.

We fell into a comfortable silence for a long moment as I contemplated how to answer the question he wasn't asking, and wasn't going to, but wanted to. But I was wondering the same thing. What was so different about Donnie that I didn't see him as a brother like I saw Leo, Raph, and Mikey? I was definitely closest to Donnie, but that didn't exactly solve the puzzle. I considered him my best friend, someone that protected me and helped me with my homework, but brothers were very capable for those things as well.

It was hard to explain to myself, let alone him, how he was so much more than a brother, or protector, or study partner, or best friend—but then what?

I sighed at my slight frustration and dropped my head to the side so it was resting on his shoulder, "Hope you don't mind sharing your brothers with me."

Donnie looked down and I could feel the side of his face against the top of my head, "Heh, you can borrow them anytime you want."

Smiling, I nodded, "'ppreciate it."

I wished he would relax so I could feel the slight movement of his body as he breathed, but he was like a rock.

"Did you, uh…did you want to get started on chemistry now?" He asked.

_Our chemistry?_

There it was. That's what explained the difference.

"Yep, should get on that," I answered, lifting myself from the floor and reaching for my notebook to continue with all my homework that was due the next morning. Gotta love being a teenager…

"Chapter seven, right?" He flipped to the appropriate page and I smiled at how he remembered so many little details even if I just mentioned them in passing. Or how he picked up on little details even if he didn't realize it himself. Like when I asked him that question a few days ago. I didn't think he would pick up on the fact that I wanted to turn it into a game of sorts. A game of personal knowledge if you will.

"Okay, April; According to the Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion theory, if there are five pairs of electrons in the valence shell of an atom, they will be arranged in a…what?"

I blinked at him before smirking and flicking his shell playfully, "You already asked your question."


	3. Question 3

**.**

**Questions**

**III.**

"Can I ask you a question?"

I didn't shift my eyes away from my nuclear agent remote detector when she asked. We were on a roof top together, just the two of us, because my brothers were the ones that had to wander into unchartered Kraang territory to disarm multiple bombs. My latest invention detected these bombs, but it wouldn't be able to work correctly if I went through the underground tunnel with them. I gave the location part to Leo, and I would be able to warn them when they were close by an explosive.

"Hold on," I held up my hand to her before I spoke into my T-phone, "Leo, you're fast approaching another one. Proceed with caution."

"Will do," Leo's voice spoke back.

"Okay, go on," I told April.

"This may seem weird, but…why aren't you leader?"

I do a quick double take at her, but make sure I don't take my eyes away from the detector for more than a second, "Uhh…that's not that hard to answer. I'm the machine guy, so I don't have time to be leader."

She laughed at my honesty, "Don't have time to be the leader? Classic!"

I smiled, "Well, it's true. I'm the one that has to worry about the—Leo, you guys are practically right on top of it. Stop and look for it. Then cut the wires like I showed you—I can't afford to worry about what the other three are doing when I'm trying to take down a Kraang spaceship, is what I'm trying to say."

I watched her nod from my peripheral vision. I began to worry that I sounded too cocky, though she and I both knew it to be true, so I quickly added, "Besides, Leo's Sensei's favorite so it only make sense that he was chosen."

Laughing, I expected her to get my joke and laugh too, but when I glanced at her, she looked shocked, "You really think that? That Sensei plays favorites?"

"Umm, well…"

Leo's voice interrupted me, "Donnie, we found the bomb. Cutting the wires now."

"Go for it." I stared at the detector for a few seconds before the closest bomb located disappeared from the radar, "Good job. I don't see another one in the immediate location. I'll let you know."

"Roger," said Leo.

I rolled my eyes at Leo's response.

"Donnie?" April asked and I finally really looked at her. She looked concerned and, to me, it was for no reason.

"It's not a big deal, really. Ever since we were young, Leo had the most in common with Sensei. He just picked up on the discipline and fighting style Sensei wanted to teach us the fastest. He had the patience Raph didn't have, the strength I didn't have, and the solemnity Mikey didn't have. Leo's basically Sensei's clone, so it's only natural that Sensei is closest to him and trusts him the most," as I explained this, I glanced at my T-phone to ensure I put it on mute so Leo didn't just hear everything I said. I did.

She kneeled down next to me and looked down at the empty streets below, "And that doesn't bother you?"

I chuckle shortly, "No, not really. I was always too invested in my own thing to constantly try to please Sensei. If it bothered anyone, it's Raph."

I stared at her as she wrinkled her nose. I found it cute when she did that even though it usually meant she was annoyed, "You know one thing I noticed about your family?"

"What's that?"

"You guys sometimes seem to have a hard time separating Splinter the Sensei from Splinter the Father. So if you're saying that Leo is Splinter's favorite student, then he's also his favorite son…"

I went back to staring at the detector. I was really hoping another bomb would show up so I could give instructions for a moment and rethink where this conversation was going, "How did we go from me being leader to whose Splinter's favorite is?"

She probably thought she had offended me because she quickly looked away and wrung her hands together, "Sorry, I didn't mean—."

"No, it's fine, I…" I trailed off. I felt like I, in turn, offended her for dismissing her question, "Like I said, their closeness never bothered me much. I was usually the loner. Leo and Splinter always had that click…same thing with Raph and Mikey. Though Raph acts like Mikey gets on his nerves all the time, those two are actually really close…probably the closest out of all of us. So I was just…ya know, I had my lab, so…"

I paused and clenched the detector harder than I should have been. Another explosive had to be near…soon…

Then I felt her hand on mine. It was warm and soft and welcoming, and it caused me to look into her face that matched all those adjectives.

"Until you met me, right?"

Despite my previous nervousness, I smiled genuinely at her and it didn't go unnoticed when she glanced at my mouth and hitched her breath. It gave me the courage to say, "Until I met you. Then I wasn't so alone."

I think I may have blushed at how corny that sounded, but it was true and that was all that mattered. I momentarily thought back to when we accidentally mutated her father and she avoided us for a long stretch of time. I never knew I was alone until I had her and lost her. My inventions were my sole source of happiness before I met her and though I knew I was the odd one out when it came to my family, I didn't feel lonely. Strange how, when you meet the one person that makes you happiest, they also have the power to make you the saddest. It's a paradox I wanted to avoid yet look further into sometime.

But I wasn't about to tell her all this. She didn't need reminding about the time she held that grudge against us…against me. I knew she still regretted that time and I didn't want her to think I held it against her. I didn't. Because if anything, we were even closer when she returned to me…even if she did happen to meet Casey during that timeframe.

But that was also a concern for another time.

I reluctantly broke eye contact with her despite the way the blue was shining more brilliantly than I've ever seen since…since I perfected the retromutagen for her father. I looked down at the detector before releasing the mute button on my T-phone, "Leo, you guys are less than two-hundred feet from the next bomb. Proceed with caution."

"Aye-Aye, Captain!" Mikey's voice came instead as he used his best pirate voice.

"Give me back my phone!" Leo said and I imagined them fighting over the T-phone.

I rolled my eyes, "Focus, guys. You don't want to explode into a million pieces, do you?"

"I dunno…do we?" Mikey asked from the background.

"Shut…up!" Raph yelled and I was suddenly glad I was in a separate location from them…and with April instead.

I looked over to her again and saw her looking down at her feet with a ridiculously large smile curving her lips and a light blush highlighting her freckles. She seemed off in her own little world. I thought about the last thing I said to her and it wasn't a hard conclusion to come to, to realize that she was so happy because of what I told her.

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_AN: Thanks for the wonderful reviews! They mean the world to me, and I'm so glad you're enjoying this lil' ficlet o' mine. Next chapter up soon!_


	4. Question 4

**.**

**Questions**

**IV**

"I have a question."

I continued munching on my popcorn as I tried to hide my smile. I must have made him nervous about starting our tradition the usual way the first time he asked if he could ask me a question.

"Wait, wait! This is my favorite part!"

We were sitting side by side on the couch in the lair watching _The Avengers. _The other guys were sitting on the floor nearer to the TV. I told them before that sitting so close could possibly damage their eyes, but they weren't willing to believe me. So be it.

I watched the part where Thor accidentally gives Iron Man more power when they were fighting. I laughed loudly as Tony Stark did his, "Well how 'bout that?" remark before striking at Thor.

"Gets me every time!" I ate more popcorn before offering some to Donnie. He waved his hand to decline, "Okay, ask away."

"What did you used to do? I mean, before you and your dad got kidnapped and you met us and had to start running for your life all the time?"

The way he asked made me want to laugh again, yet I knew it was no laughing matter. Constantly being on the lookout was draining and having to depend on the guys to save me all the time was getting old. Of course, I was getting better with my training, but most of my opponents had years of extra experience.

"You mean what did I do as a hobby?"

"Yeah," he agreed, "It's just that…I don't see you doing a whole lot for fun. If you're not with us, you're in school or doing homework," Donnie paused as he thought about what he said, "I'm not saying that school isn't a hobby, but—."

"I get what you're saying," I interrupted before he began rambling. I continued to eat popcorn as I thought about his question though it may have looked like I was only paying attention to the movie; "Huh."

"What is it?" He asked, leaning forward slightly.

I shook my head, "Nothing, it's just…it's weird. I'm having a hard time thinking of my life before you. What _did _I do before I met you?" The question was hypothetical, of course, but looking over at him, his wide eyes and blush didn't go unnoticed by me. I realized what I said and chuckled. _I was nothing before I met you…_

"Even though I've only known you for a little over a year, it's weird to think that I was once…well, _normal. _So much stuff has happened that it's almost like my old life is nothing but a dream. Everything I'll say will seem dull and boring."

"Don't say that," Donnie countered, a look a true concern written in his eyes, "You don't ever want to give up being who you are. That person you were before you were told who you are is the real you…" he paused and I smiled softly at him because he was being so passionate about something seemingly so trivial. "Because if you give up that part, then..." he looked down at his open hands for some reason, "Then what will you do when this is all over?"

The way he articulated the last part made my heart pound wildly in my ears, "What do you mean _when this is all over? _What?"

Donnie looked up quickly, "I-I meant when the Kraang are defeated."

"Oh…" for some reason I didn't believe him…or at the very least, I knew he wasn't saying everything, but would save that question for another time.

"Anyway…hobbies?" he asked with a smile, trying to bring us back around to the main question.

"Right. Um…I dunno, I was taking some journalism classes that I really enjoyed. I tried being on the school newspaper for awhile but all they ever wanted me to write about was fluff stories," I rolled my eyes, "_So-and-so are dating now—The Popular Couple! _Or _We won the game by two points! _Or _Was that a sloth in the cafeteria?!"_

Donnie looked like he wanted to laugh but was holding back.

"I'm serious! It was all so foamy that I couldn't take it anymore."

"Foamy?"

"Yeah…so I wrote other things in my spare time. I like a lot of sci-fi movies and books, so I dabbled a bit in—," I cut myself off and blushed and this didn't get past Donatello.

"Drabbled in what? Poetry?"

"No, not so much…I wrote some fanfiction," I blurted out quickly, "Just as a pastime!" I added just as fast, "There just seemed to be so much stuff not being told in the movies I watched that I wanted to add onto it somehow."

Donnie seemed so pleased by this answer that it almost concerned me, "What genre?"

"Action mostly," I responded, "Some mystery."

"Can I read—."

"Absolutely not!" I answered before he could get the full question out.

He looked taken aback and a little hurt, "Sorry, didn't mean to…to upset you."

"No, no, it's nothing like that," I reassured him as I glanced to the three turtles sitting in front of the TV. They were all still engrossed in the movie, "It would just be too embarrassing to have someone I know read my stories."

"Ah…I see," he nodded slowly though I knew he was still a bit hurt that I wasn't going to share. I had to move on to something else.

"I also did a little gymnastics. Nothing serious though. I was just trying it out more than taking it seriously," I thought back to one of the last nights I attended the class. My instructor seemed to yell at me about everything I was doing wrong and how physically demanding sports probably just wasn't my thing.

Oh, if she could only see me now…

"Ah, so that's how you catch on so fast," He said playfully and actually gave me a nudge with his elbow. He was smiling big enough to show me the gap in his teeth and I never would have thought, before I met him, that a gap could be so adorable.

I nudged him back, "Well, I had a good teacher."

He hesitated, "Sensei?"

I laughed, "Well, you helped a lot, too, ya know."

"Guys!" We both jumped at Mikey's voice, "We're trying to watch the movie here!"

"Yeah, I thought you said this was your favorite movie, April," Leo said and by now, all three of them were looking back at us.

"They're obviously more interested in each other," Raph chimed in before turning back to the movie. Thankfully, the other two followed suit and I was so glad they found the movie more interesting than what Donnie and I were doing.

The butterflies in my tummy flew to life when we grinned at each other simultaneously.

"I could…I could help now. I-if you want…" he stuttered quietly and it took me a moment to realize what he was saying.

I chuckled but kept my voice low as well, "You want to train _now? _What about the movie?"

"We've seen it a million times," he reminded me.

"Fourteen times," I corrected as I nudged him again, "It's important to be accurate."

He looked surprised for a moment before he blinked slowly, his face softening as though that one blink washed away every worry he's ever had. His eyes were gentle and unwavering as he looked at me and—forget butterflies, there were a few doves in my tummy that were going wild. Has he always looked at me like that…?

I set the popcorn down and sat up on my knees as I leaned toward him with what I hoped was nothing more than a friendly challenging look, "You're on."

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_AN: Once again, thank you all for reading! Every single review means a lot to me and I love to hear what you guys think. Snowwhite197 asked if Mikey and Donnie aren't close in this universe. Last chapter, I wasn't trying to say that all of them weren't close in some way, I was just depicting who I see as the closest when I watch TMNT (at least the 2k12 TMNT). As far as pairing closeness goes, I see Leo and Splinter, Raph and Mikey, and Donnie and April. Others may see...how to say it...closer bonds than what I just listed, but this is simply how I view the relationships. :) Thank you all again!_

-Enula


	5. Question 5

_AN: A guest reviewer, thegirlwholived, requested that April ask Donnie what his favorite fairy tale is. This is it! Like I said in the first chapter, if you have a question you want one or the other to ask, just let me know. I will fit it in somehow. Enjoy! :)_

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**.**

**Questions**

**V.**

"Question."

I looked at her from the corner of my eye as she studied the artwork on the entrance to the dojo. I liked the way her eyes roamed over the detailed painting featuring ninjas in black fighting fully armored samurai. A demon with devil horns and a snake tongue espoused the scene as it loomed to the far left of the warriors.

We had only sparred for a few minutes before her attention inexplicably dissipated on the training when she peered at the sliding entrance. I don't know how it entranced her enough to suddenly stop and wander over to it as though she'd never seen it before. It was like she was seeing the story in the art for the first time.

"I'm ready," I respond.

"Splinter exposed you guys to literature, right?"

I nod though I'm not sure she's really looking at me to see, "His lessons usually stem from stories that have some sort of morality to them. When we were a little younger, he made us read certain stories to analyze the significance of the message it told." I waited for her to add onto her question, but she seemed completely absorbed in the artwork, so I went on, "Sensei knew Mikey was more visual, so he gave him a comic book. It's actually what got Mikey started on his comic obsession," I chuckled shortly.

April still didn't respond for awhile, and it was beautiful watching her in this state. To see her intrigued by something that it not only attracted her eyes, but her soul. Finally, she asked in a murmur of a voice, like she was talking in her sleep, "What was your favorite story?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but quickly stopped myself, "You'll laugh."

This made her tear her gaze from the painting to me and it made me feel a bit self-conscious because for her eyes to go from such splendor to…well, me—was a bit intimidating.

"You know I won't," she told me.

The sincerity in her voice made it impossible not to believe her, "It was actually one of the first books Sensei gave me because…well, I'm not really sure why exactly he picked it, but it was _Beauty and the Beast _by Leprince de Beaumont," I blushed when the title left my mouth but when I spotted a small smile curve her lips, I wondered why I was so nervous about admitting that.

"Really? That's one of my favorites, too, though…I'm only familiar with the Disney version," she told me and I cocked my head to the side.

"I wasn't aware there were different versions."

She allowed me a cute giggle, "Really? This is seriously something you didn't research?"

"I don't…" I stuttered because while the question seemed to expose the nerd in me, it was somehow endearing coming from her, "I don't research literature. I interpret it on my own…I don't need others' opinions to tell me what to make of it."

April put her hand on her hip while she poked me in the plastron with her finger, "I wish you could be in my English class to tell that to my teacher. Maybe you could reduce homework for everyone."

"Heh…yeah, that would be great," I agreed quietly and unknowingly flitted my eyes away from hers because at the mere mention of me doing anything remotely normal like sitting in a classroom and getting into a debate with a teacher was too much of a reach.

And I don't know how, but April sensed the falter in me, "So why is that your favorite?"

I looked at her again, my mind momentarily going blank at her closeness. If she wasn't so much shorter than me, we'd be face to face, "It's kinda hard to explain…" I wasn't good with literature. At least, not as good as I am with science. Science was easy; everything needed the proper amount of substance to create something else and it was what it was. But when I read fiction, it made me feels things—certain emotions that I was never in tune with before—and I couldn't understand how a string of words could do that to me.

"Come here," I grabbed her hand without thinking but was overcome with gratitude when her fingers instantly gripped mine and she stepped forward as if she was ready to go anywhere with me at a moment's notice.

I slid the storytelling door aside and stepped out into the open with her. My brothers were still watching _The Avengers _and didn't seem to even notice that we were no longer sitting behind them.

I guided April to the hall that housed all of our bedrooms until I came to the one on the far right that was my own. I opened the door and stepped aside to let her enter first, her fingers sadly slipped from mine as she walked in. I went in behind her and closed my door which made my heart start thumping like a rabbit. I didn't do it consciously—I hardly spent any time in my bedroom except when I was sleeping, so closing the door was like second nature.

I considered reopening it in case she felt awkward about it, but she looked right at home as she sat down on my bed and looked around. I figured it would be more awkward if I opened it again at this point so I let it go.

I went to one of my bookshelves that housed mostly all the books I've read before but would have little use to me in my lab. I knew I had _Beauty and the Beast _somewhere on those shelves, though I hadn't held it in quite some time.

"This is the first time I've ever been in here," she said from behind me.

"R-really?" I asked as a fire burned my face and I refused to turn around.

"Yeah…I've looked in here briefly before, but…well, you're hardly in here, so why would _I _be?" She chuckled and I heard the nervousness in the sound.

"Umm…true," I said absentmindedly because I realized we were both nervous and…for what? I pushed aside my copy of _De Humani Corporis Fabrica _and finally found what I was looking for. I grasped the worn paperback in my fingers, wiping the dust off the front cover as I turned back to April.

"Found it," I walked over to her and planned to sit next to her, but it seemed shockingly intimate and wasn't sure if I should remain standing. Again, she sensed this hesitation in me and grabbed my hand before tugging gently, her eyes silently telling me to _just sit. _

So I did, my bed creaking annoyingly at my added weight. I jumped and went rigid when she scooted closer to me so that our arms were touching. I glanced to her but she was staring at the cover of the book that showed Beauty holding the Beast's paw as they gazed in each other's eyes.

"Okay…so tell me why this is your favorite," she said, bringing up her question from the dojo.

"Well, like I said, it's…" I cleared my throat when my voice cracked; I winced, "It's hard to explain. I—uhh…bookmarked a couple pages that basically says…why…" _UGH _I was getting so annoyed at myself for stumbling. She seemed beyond interested, same as she has when she asked her previous questions.

"Read them to me," she requested.

"Right…" I cleared my throat again as I flipped the book open to a page that had the edge bent in. I wanted to just hand the book over to her; she could read, she didn't need me to read it aloud to her. But she wasn't looking at the book, she was looking at me.

I sucked in a deep breath before I read: "'I suppose you find me very ugly, don't you?' 'That is true,' said Beauty, 'for I cannot lie; but I think that you are very kind...I must confess that your goodness pleases me,...I like you with your face better than those who, beneath a man's face, hide a false, corrupt and ungrateful heart'."

I paused and looked to April again and was a little surprised to see her frowning.

"April?"

"Go on," she urged with tranquility in her voice.

Strange how I picked up on her serenity and calmly turned to the next marked page; "'How wicked I am, she said to herself, to make a Beast suffer so when he has been so kind to me...It is neither good looks nor wit in a husband which makes his wife content; it is goodness of character, virtue and obligingness, and the Beast has all these good qualities...'"

I stopped when she rested her head against my shoulder. It wasn't the first time she'd done it but it still made me freeze as I held my breath. I thought I heard her groan in slight frustration.

"Donnie…" she murmured my name and I really wanted to answer but the mere fact that she was so close to me and I couldn't do anything about it was piercing my will.

"Sssoooo…." I somehow found my voice, "what I got from this story is that no matter how ugly society is on the inside, appearances are all people will ever notice. Except for…except for—you know, Beauty."

She raised her head and smiled at me, "Beauty notices kindness?"

I nodded, "It's important to note that the character's name refers more to her inner beauty than her looks."

April nodded slowly as if contemplating something. I blinked to keep myself from staring and turned to another page, "Honestly, though…the ending I'm not a fan of: 'To her amazement, the Beast had disappeared and she saw at her feet a prince more beautiful than Love himself, who was thanking her for breaking his spell'…"

She looked from me to the book, "How could you not like that? It's a happy ending!"

"To me it…it destroyed the message I had throughout the book. Why did he suddenly turn into a human like everyone else? What makes him so unique at this point?" I noticed that I sounded upset, angered even, and April picked up on my tone as well. I tried to laugh it off as I closed the book, "Sorry, didn't mean to get so worked up over a piece of fiction. I'm as bad as Mikey…"

She grabbed the book from me and brought it to her lap, "You may be missing the point, Donnie. I think Beauty suddenly realized what the Beast meant to her so when her vision was finally clear of prejudices, she saw his inner kindness reflecting on the outside. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder…"

My heart leaped into my throat. I had never thought of it that way. Of course, I did tell her earlier that I didn't research literature because I wasn't interested in how others' analyzed what I was reading, but April's explanation sounded so profound that I wished I could somehow snatch the words from the unclean air and keep them in an airtight bottle to preserve them forever.

She looked at me again and I saw it there. It was there—_It was there _and I felt a swarm of feelings so intense I swore I sensed my endocrine system being triggered to release the leucine-enkephalin endorphin and—

April threw the book on my bed and stood up, her eyes wide with worry, "Donnie, are you okay?"

Her legs were on either side of my right one as she stepped close to me and placed her hands on either side of my face. This was when I realized my vision was blurred and heavy with fluid and if I blinked just once the pressure would be released but—

"Sorry…" I muttered before bringing my hands up to my face and rubbing viciously as if I was livid with my body for reacting in a natural way.

"Donnie…" Her tiny hands clutched mine and attempted to pry them away from my eyes. I felt the words _please stop saying my name like that! _bubbling from my chest to rest on the tip of my tongue before I stopped them.

I loved her so much in that moment I swore I was living her, and I was afraid that if she saw it she would stop breathing.

"Donatello…" my full name escaped her lips and I sucked in a breath and let my hands fall to my lap, my head and eyes downcast.

But before three heartbeats passed, there was a quick knock on my door followed by Mikey's voice, "Hey guys, movie's over. We're going up to get pizza gyoza. Wanna come?"

Hearing my brothers voiced helped me gain control and I felt comfortable looking up towards the door. I fleetingly wondered why he didn't just burst in my room; it was very unlike him and I was curious as to what held him back this time.

"Sounds good, be right there," I answered—was that my voice?

I became aware of how close April was to me, her legs still standing over my right knee. I quickly stood up, my height suddenly towering over her. I wanted to look at her but I wasn't ready to see what she thought of what just happened.

"Wanna grab a late snack with us?" I asked as I walked to my door. I opened it and as the enclosed space became exposed, I felt my personal unguarded emotions sink back inside me and I finally looked at her again. She was blank. I couldn't read her and it both relieved me and concerned me.

"Sure," she responded in a voice that did not match the mood but we both thought nothing more of it as we left my room to go join my brothers.

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_AN: Phew, this was a bit longer than my previous chapters! This was supposed to be a light 'n fluffy story, how did it become this!? Anyway, wanted to thank all of you for the reviews again. I love reading them and it helps my motivation. Thank you!_

_-Enula_


	6. Question 6

_AN: I'm so happy so many of you enjoyed the last chapter! So, animesan and a guest reviewer, a girl, wanted Donnie to ask April about her favorite song. I'm not the greatest at song fics, but I think this worked out fairly well. I do not own the song and, to be clear, I was not expecting to write a chapter on a song, so the fact that I chose this song randomly and it works so perfectly is nothing but a lovely coincidence. :) Enjoy!_

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**Questions**

**VI.**

"I'm ready to ask my next question now."

I stiffened at my kitchen counter as I ripped open two packets of hot chocolate. I had called Donnie over to assist me with some of my homework again but wanted to make us a treat of hot cocoa and sugar cookies as well. It had been nearly two weeks since I asked what his favorite story was and, by the way things went, I was beginning to think that he was finished with our questions game.

I looked over my shoulder to see him sitting at the kitchen table with his hands folded properly on the tabletop. My chemistry book sat closed near his hands, along with my open notebook, and my laptop was open to reveal my background photo which was four regular turtles that I photo-shopped colored masks onto. The picture started off as a joke to show to the guys, but I ended up keeping it because it made me laugh.

"I've been waiting to hear you say that," I told him as I emptied the contents of the packets into two mugs.

He was silent for a long moment before; "Oh…well, I don't have a great question. I just figured that since you asked me about my favorite story last time that…" he paused again. It was the first time either of us mentioned that night so it still felt a bit… complex since we never took the time to consider what happened. He finally continued, "Nevertheless, I was just wondering if you had a favorite song?"

The question did seem fairly ordinary, but weren't all of our questions before this as well? I noticed that it was our answers that made this work, because they somehow took each question one step further for us.

"Hm…I dunno, does anyone have a favorite song? There's so many great ones, it's hard to choose," the timer went off on the stove to let me know the cookies were done. I put on a mitten and took the tray out of the over, "Do you have a favorite song?"

"I asked you first."

His response made me turn around quickly but when I saw him smiling at me, I caught the joking look in his eyes. I returned his smile.

"Fair enough," I took the tea kettle off the stove when steam started to rise. I poured the hot milk into the two mugs before stirring in the cocoa mix, "I feel like whatever I tell you now I'll want to take back a minute later because I'll think of something better." I put the cookies on a plate then set them on the table before doing the same with the mugs.

"Thank you," he said politely as he wrapped his hands around the warm mug.

"Welcome," I sat down in the seat next to him and blew on my hot cocoa. I kept glancing up at him but he kept his eyes down on his hot drink. I still wasn't sure what went through that mind of his during our _Beauty and the Beast _discussion, but I do remember, very vividly in fact, seeing those brown eyes of his turn to liquid as they filled with tears. It was as amazing as it was heart wrenching because for someone that was so full of emotions one second, he shut down in the blink of an eye.

And I knew it was because he couldn't explain what came over him in scientific terms. He liked to stay in control of situations and for that knee-jerk reaction to overcome him like that was more than that genius brain of his could comprehend. I didn't doubt that he spent these last few weeks trying to work through it, and I wanted more than anything to tell him to let me help him, but I was nervous. He nearly broke down in front of me; laid out everything that was _him_ before me.

Of course I knew he had feelings for me…I saw it in the way he looked at me and in the way he spoke to me. But I wasn't sure just how deep those feelings went until I found out what mere words could do to him. And I think it scared me because I was just beginning to come to terms with the raging storm he caused inside of me when he was near. Or even when I just thought about him. I don't think there was a time when I wasn't thinking about him.

I finally held my gaze on him. Though he was still staring at his drink, I saw the confused sadness in his warm eyes and I realized that, just because he knows he likes me, didn't mean that he understood why.

He must have felt my stare because his eyes finally snapped up to me and it was then that I saw how tired he looked. I wondered if he had been having a hard time sleeping like me.

Then a song suddenly dawned on me. A song I always loved but never considered its true meaning and how it could possibly relate to me and my life. Until now. A couple verses swam through my mind and in that moment, the moment he finally locked eyes with me, I knew what my favorite song was.

I slid my laptop toward me and opened Chrome, going straight to YouTube and typing in the title and artist. I got up from my seat and placed my laptop in front of Donnie. He moved his mug to the side to make room for it and I kept my eyes on him as he read the title.

"'The Scientist'?" He said aloud.

I nodded, "Coldplay has tons of awesome songs, but this one…this one is my favorite." I selected a lyrics video and for some odd reason my heart started beating wildly because I wasn't sure what listening to this song would do to him, let alone me.

_Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry  
You don't know how lovely you are  
I had to find you, tell you I need you  
Tell you I'll set you apart_

As the first verse flowed through our ears and eyes, I took the chance to look over to him again and saw that his hands were balled into fists as he took in the words. Sucking in a deep breath, I went around his chair to stand behind him, my hands gripping the back of the chair.

_Tell me your secrets and ask me your __**questions**_

Biting my lower lip, I released my grip on his chair and rested them on his shoulders as I allowed my thumbs to play over the lip of his shell.

_Oh let's go back to the start  
Running in circles, coming in tails  
Heads on a science apart_

I feel him go rigid beneath my fingers and I was so tired of not being able to touch him without him tensing up. I slid my hands down the front of his plastron then leaned down to rest my chin on his shoulder, bringing us cheek to cheek.

_Nobody said it was easy  
It's such a shame for us to part  
Nobody said it was easy  
No one ever said it would be this hard  
Oh, take me back to the start._

I folded my arms across his chest so I was hugging him from behind and I started to sway to the slow beat.

"April?" his voice broke in a tone just above a whisper.

"Shh, here's my favorite part," I told him with a small smile.

_I was just guessing at numbers and figures  
Pulling your puzzles apart  
__**Questions**__ of science, science and progress  
Do not speak __**as loud**__ as my heart_

The last words struck a warmth through me and I breathed in deeply, his scent entering my brain and it was the sort of addicting smell that brought back nostalgic memories of home and devotion. I turned my head to the side and let my lips touch his cheek though I didn't make any movement to call it a kiss. My stomach and heart leaped when his right hand enclosed over my arms.

_Tell me you love me, come back and __**haunt me**__  
Oh and I rush to the start  
Running in circles, chasing our tails  
Coming back as we are_

Then as the last verse played, I closed my eyes and let it just be him and I. And the music ended, almost abruptly it seemed, and we were left with a comfortable silence between us.

I asked as my lips were still on his skin, "You're not mad at me anymore, are you?"

It was only when he stiffened again did I realize that I finally had him relaxed before my question, "I was never mad at you, April. I just—," he cut himself short like he's always doing.

"I'm sorry…" I apologized anyway and it wasn't for anything specific because it was meant to cover everything. Sorry it took my so long to notice what was in front of me, sorry I ignored what he's been trying to show me for over a year, sorry that all of our easies will come with hardships if we—

"Don't be," he interrupted my thoughts and I squeezed him tighter, "Thanks for sharing your song."

My smile grew big against him and I knew he felt it. I blushed when I heard the words, "_Our _song," come flowing from my mouth.

He relaxed against me again. He nodded just slightly. I wanted to tell him that he had to stop depending on science to explain what he was feeling because he would never be able to find the scientific explanation he was looking for and it would drive him insane if he kept searching. But that wasn't something to tell. I had to show him to make him see it. And I knew just how to unmask his insecurities. I hoped.

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_AN: Hope you guys liked it! The next chapter will take place right after this one. This means I have it already planned, so if you have a Questions request, it will have to wait a chapter or two. If I get as many reviews as I did for the last chapter (you guys are just so great!) then I should have it up tomorrow sometime. ...Or even if not, I'll probably still post tomorrow, because I'm feeling rather inspired right now._

-Enula


	7. Question 7

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**Questions**

**VII.**

"My turn to ask a question."

We had just moved from the kitchen to the living room where I took my usual seat on the floor against the couch. I stretched my legs out in front of me then April sat down on the couch near me.

"Already?" I tilted my head back to look up at her and was glad when I saw her smiling down at me.

"I didn't know we set a time limit between questions," she said jokingly. Her eyes shifted away from mine when her hand found the tails of my mask. I felt the slight tug as she twirled it around her fingers. Funny how I only dreamed of doing the same with her hair, and though my mask was not part of my body, not in the attached sense anyway, her action felt just as intimate even if it was.

I wanted to snatch her and swing her down into my lap but that was too romantic novel-ish and I knew it wouldn't work out the way I saw it in my mind.

"We didn't, but…" I paused and moved my head enough to rub against the side of her leg, "You already know what my favorite song is."

She laughed softly with eyes that matched as I referenced _our _song and shook her head, "That's not my question."

Her fingers tugged a bit more on my mask.

"My favorite movie's _Donnie Darko," _I mentioned and thought back to the night she first showed it to me.

"You have good taste, but also not my question."

"The Quantum Entanglement Theory is one of my favorite scientific theories. It explains how you can agitate an electron on one side of the universe which will create a force that can travel—."

"Donnie."

My eyes met hers again and I almost expected her to look irritated but she just appeared amused.

I blushed, "Sorry, didn't mean to—."

"Don't apologize," she told me as she then ran her hand down the length of mask's tail before letting it drop against the couch. The words seemed open-ended, like she wasn't through with her sentence, but she wasn't continuing.

I cleared my throat, "Okay, I give up. What's your question?"

She bit her lower lip (_By Darwin's beard, I loved it when she did that…) _as she visibly became nervous. She looked down at her lap which allowed a piece of hair to fall in front of her eyes. In an instant, my fingers were by her face to push that strand away from hiding my—

April, just as quickly, grabbed my hand in hers and looked at me; "Can I see you with your mask off?"

I froze, and she felt it, because she gripped my hand tighter. Her question caught me off guard more than anything, mostly because it was so unlike our previous questions. Those ones required a full length answer—or at least, we were able to answer them like so. But this one was simple; all I had to do was say _yes_ or _no_.

But why would I even consider saying no? When could I ever say no to April?

So I reluctantly took my hand away from hers as I reached behind my head with both hands to untie the knot. To my surprise, however, she stopped me. She stood from the couch and, seeing her stand above me made me a bit anxious so I bent my knees up so my pads were touching my plastron. Then she surprised me again. She stepped between my legs before kneeling down on her knees in front of me.

"Can I do it?"

I blushed again because the tone of her voice was so soft and curious it was like she was asking if she could undress me. Though…I guess maybe she was?

I nodded. I suddenly had a hard time finding my voice. We just got done having a moment in the kitchen as we listened to our song and I wasn't sure how much more my heart could take. What all of this could even mean. Surely what she was doing to me was deeper than a friend level…

April raised up on her knees as she reached behind me to untie the knot. She tried for a few seconds before laughing, "This is harder than I thought it would be."

I smiled even though my heart was nearly jumping through my plastron because her face was so close to mine and her look was one of determination and embarrassment. "It takes some getting used to." Without her permission, I reached back to help get it loose. She stayed where she was as her fingers felt the movement of mine.

I was able to loosen it fairly quickly, and once the tough knot was out of the way, I lowered my hands to let her finish. It was only then that I was curious as to where to lay my hands. I didn't want to touch her…well, I did. More than anything, but—I rested my hands on my knees.

I felt my mask come loose and closed my eyes before the fabric could rub against my corneas. When it left me altogether, I blinked a few times before catching her stare.

I couldn't help but notice the way she stilled as she sucked in a breath and held it. Her lips were parted just slightly as she searched my face. I knew my brothers and I looked a bit different without our masks, and I suppose it was because we were so used to wearing them. More often than not we had them on, especially nowadays when a battle could happen at any moment.

"Wow…" she exhaled and the way she sounded made me exhale as well, but it came out sounding like a sort of half moan half chuckle mix and I blushed again because I had no idea if it rang strange to her.

She must have realized she was staring; the red tint that lit up from her neck to her face was a dead giveaway.

"I—I know I look more like…like a turtle with it off, you can tell that—," I stopped talking when she raised my mask to her face. Our heads were a bit differently shaped so the holes didn't perfectly line up with her eyes to make her see comfortably, but it worked well enough. She tied it quickly behind her then grinned at me.

"How do I look?"

My mouth was still open from talking and I could do nothing but take her in. It was like she was wearing me. Not a part of me…_me. _It was one of the few things that separated me from my brothers physically and to see her don what was me was like…was like her exclaiming she was mine…

"You can call me…Apritello!" she said with a huge grin. She giggled at the name she gave herself but I only smiled at her adorable silliness.

When she thought I didn't share her sense of humor on the statement, her blush intensified and she sat back on her knees. She grabbed the tail hanging behind her and pulled it to the side so the mask shifted. Her eyes were now hidden as the mask worked as a blindfold.

I watched her fingers grip the fabric of her shorts and I was finally coming to terms with our positions. Here was the most beautiful girl—my best friend and crush since the moment I met her—sitting between my legs blindfolded. And she wasn't making any movements to suggest she was going to take the mask off. It was like she was waiting for me to do something…

With shaky hands, I released my knees and reached out to her, my hands wavering just inches away from her arms. She didn't seem like she sensed how close I was to touching her, but she continued to stay perfectly still.

So I let my hands land on her upper arms, right below her shoulders, and though she jumped a little out of surprise, she did not make an effort to leave.

"Purple looks good on you," I compliment her unobtrusively; I was afraid my voice would destroy the moment.

She smiled at me, "Just another thing we have in common…"

I swallowed. She might as well have been screaming for me to make some sort of move, but all the doubts that have constantly built up in my mind wasn't having it. I must be misinterpreting something. What I want can't possibly be what she wants.

"Donnie…" Her voice brought me back to the moment and my intense feelings for her swam over me just like the other night in my bedroom. It's hard for me to shut down my brain and react on instinct, but this was one of those times. I leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

She has kissed me on the cheek plenty of times. Well…five times to be exact. Six if I included what happened in her kitchen twenty-six minutes ago. Despite all these, I never thought she desired a kiss of any kind in return. I was always too nervous to make that sort of move anyway but in these last few weeks…since she asked the first question that started this journey of ours to get to know each other better…something changed and progressed and dammit if I couldn't explain what that was!

April put her hands on my kneepads, but I guess she thought that wasn't good enough, because her hands quickly flitted to my arms and she leaned against me to make the kiss more than feathery.

Her scent invaded me; she smelled like sugar cookies and hot chocolate; lemon truffles and lavender…

But all too soon she was pulling away from me. I didn't fight it as I leaned my shell back against the couch, and though I would've chosen to kiss her a million more times in that moment, seeing her large smile was enough to make me content.

She lifted one side of my mask up to peek at me with her right eye. I returned her smile. April then pulled the mask down so it was hanging freely around her neck. She searched my face again and I sensed she was silently trying to tell me something that I was refusing to believe for some reason.

She sat up on her knees before throwing herself forward and wrapping her arms around me and I very gladly returned her embrace.

"You're the best," she told me, "the best of the best."

I turned my head to hide my face in her hair. I so wanted to ask her why she thought so, because I didn't feel that way a lot of the time, but with her in my arms, there was no way I couldn't feel like the best.

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_AN: Hope you all liked it! I'm not sure if this chapter turned out exactly how I wanted it to...you have no idea how badly I wanted to have them kiss, but...I'm holding out. I promise that when it does happen, it'll be the best of the best. :) Early in the chapter, Donnie mentions __about him and April watching _Donnie Darko. _I wrote about this in my other story, "Only Human," and I just love that movie so darn much that I like to refer to it any chance I get. Next chapter up soon!_

-Enula


	8. Question 8

**.**

**Questions**

**VIII.**

"I have a…question. Kinda."

I didn't even look up from my injured leg that Donnie was busy patching up. We had just returned to the lair after a fairly brutal battle with Shredder and his Foot-Bots. Shredder was under the impression that we had somehow found Karai and was keeping her locked up, and to say that he was _angry _would be an understatement.

It was a miracle all of us, Donnie, Leo, Raph, Mikey, Casey, Master Splinter, and myself, made it out of there unscathed. For the most part. We all had our fair share of bruises and scars. I got thrown against the wall pretty hard and landed on my leg at a weird angle. I was lucky I didn't break it but it still felt awful.

Leo and Splinter walked away the worst if not physically then emotionally. Not only did they get accused for bringing harm to a girl they both cared for in their own way, but it reminded them that Karai was still somewhere out there as an angry mutant snake. Who knows what trouble she could get into or how panicked and alone she felt.

It made me realize that being half-Kraang and immune to mutagen wasn't all bad.

I winced as Donnie squeezed my leg as he felt for any sprains.

"Go for it."

He shifted his weight from one leg to the other and I could tell he had an injury somewhere as well due to how uncomfortable he looked. His left eye was a bit swollen, but I knew from the amount of bruises I had on my arms and how numb my face was that I probably had a bad eye as well.

"Well, it's just—seeing how messed up everyone is because of what happened to Karai…not just Leo and Sensei, but _Shredder_—all of this could have been prevented if…if Shredder wouldn't have bluffed and if Karai would have just stayed until we—," he started grinding his teeth as he grabbed gauze and rubbing alcohol to heal my scratches before wrapping my leg up.

I braced myself for the sting, hissing through my teeth when I felt the alcohol burn my skin, "You can't change…" I breathed heavily as the pain slowly subsided, "the past…"

"Sorry, April…" he mumbled as he quickly pressed the gauze to my wounds for pressure, "That's kinda what my question is about. The past is the past, we can't change it, but…would you rather regret doing something, or regret _not_ doing it?"

I evened my breathing out as I began to feel his cool hands on my skin instead of just pain, "Wow, Donnie, that's a loaded question…"

He didn't say anything as he continued to scrutinize my skin. Though he was acting like he was in full doctor mode, I could tell he was just using it as an excuse to avoid looking at my face. I sat forward and grabbed his face gently to make him raise his eyes to mine. And I saw the guilt swimming in those auburn pools.

"Please tell me you're not blaming yourself for me getting hurt."

Wincing, he tried to look away but I held him firmly so he got the message, "It's not so much that…I know you can take care of yourself. You're always reminding me of that, it's just that I—," he stopped and I could truly see the struggle fulminating inside him.

So I decided to answer his latest question, "It can go either way really. You can do something that you thought was right but then…then you end up regretting that decision. But putting off doing something…well, then you might never know if it was right or not. So I suppose living with uncertainty may be worse—depending on the situation."

Then I put myself in the shoes of—of all people—The Shredder. Though he was attacking us and blamed us for mostly unknown reasons, it was easy to see that he blamed himself just as much, if not more so. He used his daughter—or at least the girl he raised as his own—as bait. Without her permission and in the worst possible way. He's seen what mutagen could do…why he ever thought it was a good idea to hang Karai over the green ooze was beyond my comprehension. But maybe he didn't realize just how much he loved her until…?

"What are you thinking about?" Donnie asked as he shifted again.

"Come sit beside me," I told him as I patted the bench. He raised himself on shaky and fatigued legs before slumping himself next to me. I sighed, "I was just thinking that it's a shame Shredder didn't realize how much he cared for Karai until it was too late…"

I didn't mean to make it sound like there was no hope in saving Karai, but…things still looked pretty bleak.

Donnie chuckled mirthlessly, "Shredder? Caring about someone other than himself?"

"You could tell. It's weird, but…" I shifted my gaze from him as I stared at his bruised arms, "he does regret it."

He wrung his hands together over and over, "Do you regret anything?"

"I regret a lot of things," I blurted out before I could think about it.

Donnie looked surprised at my quick answer, "Like what?"

I sighed again and tried to straighten my leg out but found that I couldn't unbend it all the way, "I regret not spending more time with my mom. I regret being a bad friend to Irma these past few years. I regret blaming you guys for mutating my dad even though I knew it wasn't your fault…"

"April, you know we—."

"Just because you guys forgive me doesn't make me regret it any less," I pushed my hair behind my ear in frustration, "You have no idea how much I missed you."

We went silent. I wanted to tell him that I also regretted not acknowledging his feelings for me sooner. That I regretted harboring my feelings for him for so long because of my insecurities of us ever being able to work. That I regretted not kissing him the night I asked him to take off his mask.

"I regret treating you like a prize to be won," Donnie said, interrupting my train of regrets.

My eyes shot over to him to see him giving a small smile. It held almost no happiness, however, except for maybe the pride he felt in himself for admitting it to me.

"Ever since I met you, I wanted to be the one who saved you and—especially when you met Casey, I—," he began stuttering and though I knew it was hard for him to say whatever he wanted to say, he really looked like he wanted to tell me. My own heart was racing with anticipation, "I could tell he liked you and wanted to—and I knew he had a better chance at—and I knew I should just give up but…"

He trailed off and stopped talking altogether. I found I was holding my breath and it was making me lightheaded.

"But I think I get it now."

I blinked at his words, "Get what?"

"I'm just…" he looked down at his hands before bringing one hand over to me for me to look at as though I'd never seen him before, "a mutant."

I blinked again. Why was he—I couldn't understand where he was coming from. Just a mutant? _Just a mutant?!_

Anger seared through me in an instant as I stood up, the pain traveling up through my leg hardly noticeable.

"April, you shouldn't—!"

"Why would you even say that?! Do you have _any _idea how angry you just made me!?" I yelled as I stood in front of him with my arms crossed.

He shook his head, "I didn't mean—."

"No, you _did _mean it, and _that's _why I'm so mad! Why do you think you're not…not good enough!? Why—," I cut myself off because I realized there was no reason to be upset with him. If anything, I should be upset with myself. In the past, have I ever given him a reason to believe he was good enough? _Too _good perhaps? Then I asked, "Doesn't everything we've been learning about each other mean anything?"

Donnie stood up as he shook his head, "It means everything to me."

"Then…!" I almost snapped again but stopped myself. I put myself in his place. Cut off from the outside world his whole life because of how humans would judge him. How he could save their lives over and over again but continue to be feared. How he could create things that would blow their minds and reduce their stresses but continue to be abhorred.

But I wasn't like _them._

"Donnie…you're not just a mutant," I stepped towards him and grabbed his face gently. His eye looked a bit worse and I knew it would probably be swollen shut tomorrow, "You're my hero, and my best friend, and my…" His eyes suddenly became so gentle—how could a ninja that risked his life everyday be so gentle? "My everything," I found the courage in me to say because he needed to hear it as badly as I did, "You're _my _mutant."

And in a split moment I had split decisions. I wanted to kiss him…oh, how I wanted to. I…I loved him. To hell with what any _adult _might say to this knowledge…that I was too young to know what real love is. If they thought that, then they were never looked at in the way Donnie looks at me everyday.

I loved him.

_I love Donnie._

My heart flung into my throat. Oh how overwhelming this was and if…if Donnie felt even half of what I did at that moment then that was all the love I could ever hope for.

"Uhm…Donnie?" It was Mikey.

Donnie grabbed my hands as they left his face, and his eyes…they were having a hard time leaving mine, and they hardly flitted away as he responded, "What is it?"

"Sorry to interrupt…again…but Raph's face is still bleeding…like everywhere, dude. I keep tellin' him that he needs stitches but he threatens me every time."

"I'll be right there," Donnie answered and it was only then that he let go of my hands as he turned to his table of medical supplies to gather what he would need. So full of wonders…

He went to go around me to exit his lab, but I grabbed his arm to stop him. He froze and looked down at me and I…I loved him even more.

"You know I could never regret you, right?"

He swallowed and shifted to his better leg, "April you know I—."

"Go help Raph…we'll talk about it later," I forced a smile because I knew I was being completely selfish when I wished he could stop everything and just hold me.

He nodded. It seemed as though words were escaping him, but as he turned to do his duty, I heard him mumble, "I understand nothing…" before he disappeared to deal with his brother.

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_AN: Hello! Sorry for the slight delay...I suffered a mild case of writer's block. The atmosphere for this chapter seems a bit different than the rest, doesn't it? I honestly had no idea what I was going to write about for this chapter, I just knew I had to get it out, so I just started typing as my three year old son yelled in my ear the whole time hahaha! Not sure yet, but there may only be a few more chapters to this story. Thank you all so much for the kind words in your reviews. They make me smile every time I see them! :)_

_-Enula_


	9. Question 9

**.**

**Questions**

**IX.**

"Donnie? I have a question…"

I opened my eyes slowly and stared across my bedroom. I think I was nearly asleep when I heard her say my name, but I didn't mind. I would lose sleep if it meant I could talk to her all night.

I didn't mean to stay as long as I did. It had been getting late and everyone was getting tired and cranky from the fight we all just endured. Even Mikey. April was against going back to her apartment for the night for some reason so of course I offered her my bed. I knew it was going to suck trying to sleep anywhere else tonight due to my injuries, but I wasn't about to complain.

But when I walked her to my room she asked me to stay and talk with her awhile and—like always—I could never say no to her. I felt on edge though…what she said to me earlier had my mind fighting with itself over and over.

All visible signs pointed to positive. But there were bound to be some negatives in there and those negatives could totally refute my whole theory.

She asked me to play some music to help us relax so I put Coldplay on my laptop. I turned on my yellow and purple liquid motion lamp to allow the right amount of light in the room without it being dark or overbearing. I spotted my copy of _Beauty and the Beast _on my bed stand.

Somehow I ended sitting against my headboard with April's head on my chest. Her arm was wrapped around my stomach and I had my arm around her shoulders. I was proud of myself for only being nervous for a few minutes. It was probably the exhaustion.

We didn't even talk. We just laid there listening to the comforting sounds of "Paradise," "Fix You," "Speed of Sound," "Yellow," and, of course, "The Scientist." We were like that for so long that I thought she fell asleep and I knew I should get up but it was so comfortable…

Then she spoke. She sounded tired, like she was just on the cusp of sleep when she pulled herself back to reality.

"Please," I mumbled quietly and slumber sounded heavy in my voice.

She shifted but only enough to rub her cheek against my plastron. Then she was still again and I thought she really did fall asleep this time so I let my eyes close again.

I felt the world spinning around me as my body prepared to go into REM, and I must have fallen asleep for a few minutes at least, because in the blink of an eye it seemed April was now sitting on her knees beside me and calling my name.

I opened my eyes again and looked at her. She looked so tired but wonderful so I smiled softly and rested my hand on the side of her face. My hand looked abnormally large compared to her dainty size. Still, she snuggled her face against my palm and closed her eyes as her hand overlapped mine.

"Donnie?"

"Hmm?"

A pause, then: "Can I kiss you?"

My eyes closed as my mind swam for surely this had to be a dream. Did I really hear her right? Was she even awake?

She must have taken my action as a green light because I suddenly felt her lips on me. She kissed my cheek and I swore I felt my heart drop into my stomach at the slight disappointment—but then I felt her kiss me again, this time beside my mouth and my heart rose again and then—

April kissed me. I jumped slightly at the feel of her lips on mine and the fact that my hand was still holding her made it better if only for the fact that I didn't have to figure out where to put it.

I think it was supposed to be a short kiss—something to just test the waters—but when I felt her pulling away after only a few seconds, I involuntarily lamented before bringing her back towards me to kiss her again.

She let out a breath through her nose and squeezed my hand. I was somehow grateful that she chose that moment to kiss me, because we were both so enervated that we were acting more on instinct than thought. My heart was rejoicing and it was difficult for me to explain what was really happening and I loved it.

April moaned lowly into my mouth as she shifted her legs to get closer to me, and it was then that I knew I was dreaming. Whether I was asleep and dreaming or awake and dreaming was unimportant. I felt her warm hands settle on my bare shoulders as she moved herself directly in front of me.

With all of her in arms reach, I slid my hand from her face to her shoulder before my other hand finally joined in as I felt my way down her sides to rest on her hips.

She broke away just slightly from our kiss to hiss through her teeth. I opened my eyes to see her squeezing hers shuts and I instantly became worried.

"April," Oh how her name sounded like heaven coming from my mouth, "Did I hurt you?"

She breathily laughed and shook her head. She blinked quickly, almost like she was fluttering her eyelashes, before she locked eyes with me. My breath hitched.

"No," her voice was barely a whisper, "I'm still just a little sore…"

"Let me see," I urge gently and I'm glad when she doesn't argue. Sitting back ever so slightly, she lifts her shirt to reveal her stomach. Though the light is low, I can see a dark bruise shooting from her hip to her side along with a few smaller bruises forming on her toned abs, "Why didn't you tell me about these earlier?" I asked as I tentatively touched her exposed skin with my fingertips.

April sucked in her stomach compulsorily but I saw goose bumps rise up on her arms, "Didn't really notice until now…"

_And high up above or down below  
When you're too in love to let it go  
But if you never try you'll never know  
Just what you're worth_

We both stopped talking long enough to listen to a verse, but those bruises on her were really standing out on her pale skin.

"I should really take a look at your ribs…if a ligament was forced out if its normal position it could mean a rib sprain and—," I was instantly interrupted when she leaned in and kissed me again. She let go of her shirt but my hands were still on her and it didn't take me long to realize that I was touching her underneath her shirt.

Despite how tired I was only a few minutes ago, I felt wide awake now. Her hands were pressed to the top of my plastron with her fingertips gripping onto the lip of my hard exterior, but I felt her fingers on the soft skin directly underneath.

She broke away shortly as she tried to catch her breath and I took the moment to tell her, while we both seemed unfocused, "April, let me just take a quick look. You don't want to go to sleep if—."

Before I could finish, she was moving herself off of me to beside me when she laid down and raised her shirt to bare her stomach to me again, "I see that you're not going to let this go, doctor," she said and though she housed a small smile, I felt that she was a bit angry with me for breaking the mood.

And I supposed I was a bit angry at myself for the same reason, but if she was in pain, I had to fix it. I sat up and moved down so I could better see and feel her ribs. I looked up at her before I started my examination, but she was looking up at the ceiling.

I sighed lowly and pressed my hands to her skin again. I felt her suck in a breath and hold it, "I need you to breathe normally," I told her and it took her a few seconds to release and even her breathing. "Does it hurt to breathe like this?"

She shook her head, "Not really," her voice shook and I hoped I wasn't making her uncomfortable.

I roamed my hands from the top of her stomach to her sides, "Does it hurt when I use pressure?"

This time she shrugged, "A little, I guess. Feels like it hurts more on my skin than anything affecting my breathing."

I nodded, felt around a few more moments, then as soon as I came to my diagnosis and told her, "I don't think your ribs are bruised. Some TLC on those bruises should make them heal fairly fast," – I exited doctor mode in a finger snap and realized not only my position on her, but what I just said.

She looked from the ceiling to me and saw that I was back, "I wouldn't mind some TLC…"

I blushed, and I knew it had to be obvious, because my bedroom was suddenly one-hundred degrees.

"Donnie…" I blinked as I looked up to her shyly. She placed her hands on my head and shook her head, "Don't go anywhere…stay here."

I was about to argue that I didn't plan on leaving but I quickly understood that she didn't mean physically. If I started to let myself get nervous, there was no way I was going to be able to let go and just enjoy myself—or help her enjoy this.

So without thinking, I leaned down and kissed her stomach. She sucked in her breath again, but this time I heard a loud gasp as she squeezed me a little tighter. My heart was nearly pounding out of my plastron but I'd given up my heart to her a long time ago so it was nothing to worry about. I let myself bask in the taste of her as I gripped her hips where I knew there was very little bruising and moved my lips over all her injuries.

_Come out upon my seas  
Cursed missed opportunities  
Am I a part of the cure?  
Or am I part of the disease? Singing…you are…_

_"__Oh…" _I heard her tiny, strained voice go in tune with the music. I took a chance and glanced up at her and she was looking down at me with the most…beautiful…look on her face. Her lips parted and it looked like she was struggling to maintain control. It was hard to believe I _(me?!) _had this sort of effect of her. I wanted to kiss her all night. I pulled myself up her body until I was laying over her.

And she kept looking back at me like my appearances didn't even matter to her and—_April, I am so unbelievably in love with you._

I know I didn't say that out loud…there was no possible way! But she nodded anyway and brought me down to kiss me. She moved her thumbs softly over my skin and she smiled into our contact when she said, "That had to be my best question yet."

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_AN: Sorry for the long-ish delay! I would have had this chapter up a few days ago when I started it but then...then I watched the season finale and got so angry with April that it was very difficult to write what I wanted to write for this chapter. I mean AUGHUGH kinda angry. So I had to put myself back in the zone-in the fanfiction April zone. And I also want, above all else, to make Donnie happy. Either way, I'm not sure this chapter turned out as great as I had originally hoped (before...everything!) but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting any longer. You guys sounded more impatient for a kiss in your reviews than Donnie was! :D So tell me what you think and...also, I think the next chapter is gonna be the last chapter for this story. And it's mostly to give April an equal amount of chapters as Donnie (not that she deserves...okay, I need to stop). So if you have any ideas on what Donnie's last question should be, lemmie know! _

_And thanks a million for all the awesomely wonderful reviews! You guys da best!_

_-Enula_


	10. Question 10

_AN: Sorry for the delay everyone. So I went to Walmart today to see that special premiere screening for the first moments of Season 3 and...gah, it was so good yet still so heartbreaking. BUT THEY ADDED THE BATHTUB SCENARIO omg! So that made me happy and want to write again. With that said, this chapter takes place after the Kraang invasion and they make it to the farmhouse. Enjoy!_

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**Questions**

**X.**

"I need to ask you a question."

I stopped kissing him to look into Donnie's sad, serious eyes. We were in the basement of my farmhouse and this was the first moment of privacy we've had in months. Ever since the Kraang invasion, Leo's injuries, and our escape from the city, our relationship took a backseat as life became dark and difficult.

Donnie managed to set up a substitute lab in the basement; I was so glad he found space to continue doing his research and creations because I think he would have went insane otherwise.

But I felt like I was going insane without talking to him; touching him; or kissing him. We really only had that one night to explore each other before…before everything happened. So when the opportunity came where Mikey and Casey got occupied with a TV show, and Raph was still upstairs watching over Leo, I snuck down to the basement where Donnie was working.

I was relieved when he melted into me when I wrapped my arms around him from behind and kissed his cheek. I noticed the liquid he was mixing on the table in front of him and asked, "What are you working on?"

"Medicine…to help Leo," he answered quietly.

"You almost done?" My voice was just above a whisper.

He nodded, "Just finished…"

"Good," and that was when I turned his chair sideways just enough for me to scoot in front of him and kiss him. _Really _kiss him. It set a fire deep inside me when he moaned into my mouth and wrapped his strong arms around me.

We were only like that for a few moments before he spoke.

"Ask." I told him.

Donnie appeared to get nervous in the blink of an eye and, noticing, I shook my head, "Just ask, Donnie…"

"I-I…I was just wondering how—how you felt. About—about me," he stuttered, though I was proud of him for asking so straightforwardly instead of wasting time leading up to it. But I knew he was still holding back.

I grabbed his hands and stood him from his chair so he rose above me. I thought that if he was standing taller than me that it would give him extra courage, "That's not your real question…"

He looked shocked that I even said that, "Well, that…that's_ basically _it."

I smiled and stood up on tip tippy-toes and kissed him again because lord knew I missed it, missed him, missed everything. With our mouths occupied on each other's, I mumbled, "Ask me, Donnie."

His hand ghosted over my cheek and into my hair where he, unintentionally or not, took out my hairband. I felt him tremble and take a step closer to me which pushed me back slightly. I felt my butt press against the desk and it electrified an elation through me.

"Ask me," I told him for the fourth time.

He let out a shaky breath as he broke our kiss, "Do you…" he locked eyes with me, "Do you love me?"

"Yes," I answer immediately. I was anticipating that question and it wasn't until I heard the words slip past his lips that I realized how much I've been wanting to tell him but not knowing when the right time would be, "I love you, Donnie." I pulled him back in for a kiss, and the pressure pushed me harder against the desk so I bounced myself up to sit on it all the while drawing him into me, "I love you."

He moaned into my mouth again as his hands slapped down on the desk on both of my sides as he struggled to maintain control. My kisses grew faster and heavier because my love for him was overwhelming and I should have told him when the Kraang first started their invasion. But it felt like the wrong time…like it would have meant I was giving up hope of survival. If I told Donnie I loved him right before we entered into the biggest battle of our lives, I feared that he would have thought I was only saying it because I was afraid of death. Afraid of the unknown. And I was…oh, we all were. And I didn't want to tell him under those circumstances.

I wanted him to know that I loved him because of who he was, not merely because I was afraid of losing him.

I broke the kiss, breathing hard, trying to catch my breath. I looked at him through heavy-lidded eyes, but his were closed and it almost seemed as though he couldn't keep up with his thoughts as our breaths mingled. His eyes were narrowed in concentration and I wanted him to ease into this with me.

"I love you," I whispered as I reached behind him to untie his mask. Thankfully, this time wasn't quite the challenge the first time was. But I only loosened it enough to bring it down his face to let it rest loosely around his neck. I kissed his eye, "I love you," I told him again because no matter how much I said it, it could never be enough.

He finally opened his eyes to look into my soul, "I love you, April."

Hearing him say it…hearing him say my name with it…got me grinning until it almost turned into a weird frown because the tears that pricked my eyes were causing them to burn as I felt like crying. To think that either of could have died before we got the chance to say that…

To think that it could have been either one of us that was fighting for their life in a bathtub upstairs…

_Leo…_

Thinking about Donnie's brother and all the circumstances we were going through finally made a couple warm tears slip down my cheeks. Donnie placed his forehead against mine and I could see his struggle to hold back his own tears at this happiness we were finding during this dark and seemingly hopeless time and place.

So I kissed him again, a short peck really, but when he wrapped his arm around my waist and pushed me against him, the fire ignited in me again as I surrendered myself to me.

_"__Hah…" _I gasped as his mouth left mine and trailed down to my jaw and my neck where he buried his face. I felt the wetness from his eyes soak into my sensitive skin but then his lips kissed them away. I wrapped my arms and legs around him and pulled his body flush against mine. I wanted to keep kissing him, but my body was busy doing what it wanted as my head tilted to the side to give him better access.

"I love you," I moaned and I loved the way he responded to it be pressing against me harder so I found myself saying it like a mantra, a prayer, until his lips found the front of my neck. My back arched and my head fell back; I would have collapsed over the desktop if his strong hand wasn't supporting me.

I wanted him. I wanted him to make me forget everything bad even if it would only be for a few moments. Those moments would still be able to last forever with me and it would get me through everything we both needed to overcome.

Then we heard yelling. It made us pause because it was so distant but distinct. It was Raph.

_"__He's awake! Leo's awake!"_

The shock and joy was present in Raph's voice despite hearing him from all the way on the second floor. Donnie and I looked at each other, blinking, before breaking into matching grins.

Leo was awake. Things were going to get better. And Donnie just finished that medicine as well. Always right on time.

"Let's go say hello," I told him softly as we untangled from each other and he fixed his mask.

"To be continued?" He joked with a shy smile as he grabbed the bottle of medicine and headed for the stairs with me following close behind.

"Definitely," I answered. Because although we learned so much about each other through our questions, there was still so much to discover.

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_AN: ...Did I just totally set this up for a sequel or what? Haha, I dunno yet, but I suppose if I were to go that route, the story would be called "Discoveries." So...ya know, if you wanted to have something to look forward to (maybe). Would it be rated M? ::shrugs::_

_Okay, so thank you ALL for reading, reviewing, favoriting, following, enjoying, etc. When I first started this story, I didn't expect it to me anything like how it ended so...yay for unexpectedness. I'm sure I'll have a lot more ideas pop up once season 3 gets rolling. Until then...!_

_-Enula_


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